Max Verstappen and Fernando Alonso among names to take part in virtual 24h of Le Mans

F1 world champions Fernando Alonso and Max Verstappen are set to take part in the virtual 24 hours of Le Mans eSports race in January. The event is scheduled from the 15th to 16th of January.

Max Verstappen and Fernando Alonso are both established world champions in F1, having dominated in their respective seasons. Their love of racing, however, has poured into the virtual with both of them set to take part virtually in the prestigious 24 hours of Le Mans eSports race.

Verstappen will participate with his long-time eSports team Team Redline, with whom he has raced multiple times during the F1 off-season. The Dutchman will star alongside McLaren’s IndyCar driver Felix Rosenqvist and two sim racers, Max Benecke and Atze Kerkhof.

Alonso, on the other hand, won't be participating as a driver, but as the captain of the Alpine Esports team — guiding it with his years of experience in both F1 and WEC.

Other racers include former F1 driver Juan Pablo Montoya, who will be driving for the LMVS guest car alongside his son Sebastian. 2021 IndyCar champion Alex Palou will also be racing for Team Fordzilla, with hopes of bringing his on-track experience to the sim.

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Max Verstappen and Fernando Alonso both dethroned seven-time world champions

Max Verstappen won his maiden world championship title on the final lap of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, making him the most successful Dutchman in the sport. His win also dethroned Lewis Hamilton, who has been the most dominant driver in the turbo-hybrid era — winning the title six times with Mercedes since 2014.

Similarly, Fernando Alonso defeated Michael Schumacher in 2005, marking the end of the latter's highly dominant stint with Ferrari. Both the Spaniard and the Dutchman were 24-year-olds when they defeated their respective rivals — both of whom were seven-time world champions at the time of their defeat.

Coincidentally, Hamilton and Schumacher were both 36-year-olds when they were succeeded by their respective challengers.

For Verstappen in particular, the 2021 season was record-breaking in more ways than one. The Dutchman became the first to beat an old Michael Schumacher record for the highest number of podiums in a season — with 18. Furthermore, the Red Bull driver never saw the third step in all of his podiums, always placing first or second.

Only time will tell if Max Verstappen can keep up his winning form with Red Bull. With talented driver George Russell making his debut for Mercedes in 2022, the next edition of F1 is bound to be full of twists and turns.